Abbott launches videos to counter ‘insider’ claim from Davis

AUSTIN — Facing a growing refrain from his Democratic opponent that he’s not an advocate for all Texans, the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday launched a series of Web ads meant to show how he’s helped everyday people.

The first video highlights the story of Anne Osborne, a single mother who says she was growing disillusioned with the state’s child-support system when someone told her to reach out to Abbott’s office. She credits the attorney general with helping her understand the process after years of struggling to navigate it.

“This would not be possible without Greg Abbott,” Osborne says.”How thankful I am to him for wanting to make a broken process better.”

The series, titled “Greg Abbott Fights For Texans,” begins as the campaign of Abbott’s opponent, state Sen. Wendy Davis, promises to ramp up its message that he’s an “insider” who doesn’t have the best interests of ordinary citizens in mind. Asked Sunday on WFAA’s “Inside Texas Politics” what to expect in the next 90 days, Davis campaign manager Chris Turner said the campaign plans to “draw the clear contrast between the candidate who’ll fight for all hard-working Texans and Greg Abbott, who’s an insider, who looks out for other insiders.”

The Davis campaign responded to the first ad by pointing out not every Texan has had a positive experience with the Child Support Division of the attorney general’s office. Last month, a mother spoke with Houston’s Fox affiliate about her frustrations trying to get Abbott’s office to make her ex-husband, a registered sex offender, pay more than $25,000 in child support.

The attorney general’s campaign said it’ll add videos to the series throughout this month, “each featuring a different Texan or group of Texans detailing how Greg Abbott is fighting for them.”

Abbott’s campaign has touted his work on child support as evidence he’d protect the state’s most vulnerable citizens as governor. Abbott’s office has collected more than $30 billion in child support, setting a record last year for the most ever taken in by a state, according to his campaign.